Alabama teen's plot to blow up his school thwarted after teacher spotted plans in his journal

A plot by a teenager to blow up his school has been foiled after a teacher spotted details of his plan in a journal.

Investigators found empty tins filled with shrapnel and holes drilled in the top for a fuse at the home of 17 year old Derek Shrout in readiness for a terror attack.

They believe he was one step away from turning the home made weapons into explosive devices.

WATCH VIDEO BELOW

Chained: Derek Shrout appears at a court hearing to face charges for allegedly planning to use homemade explosives in a terrorist attack on fellow students at his school

Master race: Shrout is a self-proclaimed white supremacist as is believed to have learned bomb-making tacitcs from a neo-Nazi group

Shrout, a
self confessed white supremacist, detailed his terror plan in a journal
that was written just three days after the shooting massacre in Newtown,
Connecticut where 20 children and six teachers were killed, according
to police.

The journal was spotted by a teacher at Russell County High School in Seale, Alabama, and he alerted police.

RELATED ARTICLES

Share this article

Share

Russell County High School student Derek Shrout, 17, will be in court this afternoon facing a felony charge of attempted assault after he was arrested for allegedly planning to use homemade explosives in a terrorist attack on fellow students at the school in Seale, Alabama

Police found almost a dozen empty tobacco tins filled with shrapnel inside his bedroom

Small holes had been carefully drilled in the top for a fuse to be inserted

Inside his bedroom they found almost a dozen empty tobacco tins filled with shrapnel. Small holes had been carefully drilled in the top for a fuse to be inserted.

'The journal contained several plans that looked like potential terrorist attacks, and attacks of violence and danger on the school.

'And in particular, there were six students specifically named, and one teacher,' said Russell County sheriff, Heath Taylor.

Police say the devices were just 'a step or two away from being ready to explode. It would have been serious," a spokesman said

Taylor said he believes foiled the terror attack before it could be carried out.

'These bombs are potential; they're not complete. So we don't want to indicate that he was ready to do something. It could have been a day later, potentially,' said Taylor.

After his arrest Taylor told police his journal was a work of fiction - but police do not believe him.

'It was obvious that he had put a lot of thought into this. It was obvious to us that there was more than just writing a story in a journal and it being fictitious,' said Taylor.

Police said Shrout calls himself a white supremacist.

They believe he was becoming involved with an organised neo-Nazi group and learned how to make explosives on the internet.